Water and Fire~Chapter 110: Shooting Yourself in the Foot

 

Chapter 110: Shooting Yourself in the Foot

Chu Qianmiao looked down at her phone. It was a message from Ren Yan. She clicked it and saw a location.

She opened the map and saw that it was located in the city, a star-rated hotel diagonally across from her current position.

She exited the map and sent a message, "Mr. Ren, what can I do for you?"

Ren Yan's reply was concise and to the point, striking her right in the eye: "Come here tonight. I'm here."

Chu Qianmiao felt her cheeks inexplicably heat up.

He's here.

It's only been a few days since they last met, yet he's so inseparable.

She bit her lip, stifling a sweet smile that threatened to slip out, and replied, "Then take me to Bobo tonight."

After sending it, she mentally reread the sentence and felt it was a little inappropriate.

She quickly withdrew the message and sent it again, "Then take me to Bobo Chicken tonight."

After a while, Ren Yan replied, "Then I'll take you to Bobo Chicken tonight."

Chu Qianmiao

Did he do this on purpose?

Ren Yan waited in the hotel for Chu Qianmiao to get a taxi. He had a regular meeting at the company that morning and flew to this city that afternoon.

This was the first time he'd felt the urge to see someone that he couldn't resist. He couldn't resist it.

He'd once heard Lei Zhenzi say that once a woman has physical contact with a man, she develops a sense of belonging and attachment to that man. Now, he felt that after two nights and one day of physical contact, even this grown man seemed to have developed a sense of belonging and attachment to his young girl.

At first, this feeling frightened him, making him feel like he wasn't himself anymore. But gradually, he became friendly with it. One must always accept changes in oneself.

Then his phone rang. It was Lei Zhenzi requesting a video call.

Ren Yan clicked accept.

As soon as the screen connected, Lei Zhenzi's face lit up as he asked directly, "Ren, have you eaten meat this month? If not, I'll ask again next month."

He used to ask this once a week, but he'd underestimated Ren Yan's resilience. He hadn't expected Ren Yan, cherishing Chu Qianmiao's shyness, to endure the heat from autumn to winter, from winter to Chinese New Year, and from Chinese New Year to this spring, when everything is revived and even wild cats are in heat.

He was just asking this as a routine question, but he didn't expect Ren Yan to answer, "Yes, I did."

He was stunned.

"What?" He looked at Ren Yan, forcing a blank expression, but the l*stful look in his eyes and eyebrows betrayed him.

"Home run!" Lei Zhenzi's face suddenly zoomed in on the camera. He almost reached into his phone to ask.

Ren Yan raised an eyebrow. "Hmm."

"Can I interpret that raised eyebrow as shyness? Hahahaha!" Lei Zhenzi burst into laughter. "That's terrifying! You're an old man, and you're still shy! Oh my god, I have goosebumps all over my arms."

Ren Yan snorted at him calmly, "Shut up."

After a pause, he added, "Answer me a question and then shut up."

"What gifts do you usually give your girlfriends?"

Chu Qianmiao took a taxi to the hotel. Ren Yan came downstairs and met her at the entrance.

This was their first meeting since their relationship and subsequent separation. The sight of Ren Yan reminded Chu Qianmiao of that wild weekend. Although he was dressed neatly before her, her consciousness had given her X-ray vision. Through his suit and shirt, she could clearly see his alluring pectoral muscles and arousing eight-pack abs. Her face flushed.

Sometimes she felt incredibly incompetent. She blushed and flushed whenever she saw him, even after they'd already engaged in the most intimate acts imaginable.

Blushing, she was led into the room by Ren Yan's hand.

That night, she never left.

They ordered a meal from the hotel and, after eating, began to have some fun. While they were having fun, she suddenly thought of Bobo Chicken. He coaxed her into staying focused and promised to take her out tomorrow.

The next day, Chu Qianmiao finally woke up at dawn, having slept soundly. That night's fun had brought them even closer.

She couldn't help but blush again when she realized she'd woken up in his arms. She wasn't used to waking up this early.

He kissed her ear, his voice hoarse from waking, whispering to her, "Is there anything we haven't done yet? Why are you still so shy? Hmm?"

He made her ears, her heart, and her whole body itch. She jumped out of bed, wrapped in the quilt, and fled to the bathroom.

In the bathroom, she saw her face flushed like she'd been drinking. She pointed at herself in the mirror and said, "Utterly useless," then couldn't help but chuckle.

Utterly useless, so be it, she thought. Who told that guy outside to have such voluptuous abs?

After washing up, Ren Yan took Chu Qianmiao out for dinner, specifically the Bobo Chicken she'd been craving. Then, he took her hand and walked straight into the mall.

He led Chu Qianmiao all the way to the luxury goods counter.

Chu Qianmiao, a little stunned, asked him, "Senior, what are we doing here?"

Ren Yan looked at her and raised his lip, "Buying you something."

Chu Qianmiao: "Ah!"

Ren Yan led the stunned woman into the store. "Your status is different now. You need something presentable to hand when you go out to discuss business."

Lei Zhenzi had told him yesterday that a bag is a woman's second face; a good bag can make a woman proud.

"I give bags to every girlfriend, and every one of them loves them. Some even want to break up with me and try again so I can give them another bag." Lei Zhenzi had told him this yesterday.

"Let's go buy a bag."

Chu Qianmiao sat in a daze, led by Ren Yan through luxury brand stores, listening to him repeatedly ask her which one she liked.

She couldn't bear to spoil his fun and face, but she also truly thought those expensive bags were beautiful and adorable. In the end, she chose a small shoulder bag, the cheapest of them all, but it still cost her tens of thousands.

Just consider it a reward for getting a promotion, a raise, and a project bonus, Chu Qianmiao told herself.

But when it came time to pay, she didn't get a chance to spend the money; Ren Yan paid the bill directly.

All the waiters smiled enviously at her, saying, "Your boyfriend is so nice! He's so handsome and willing to spend money on you."

She smiled, figuring she wouldn't offend Ren Yan here.

That night, when they returned to the hotel, Ren Yan detained her again, forcing her to leave.

After they crumpled the sheets together, both were drenched in sweat. She showered first, then Ren Yan took his turn.

While Ren Yan was showering, she transferred the money for the bag to him.

Ren Yan emerged from the bathroom, a towel loosely wrapped around his waist. He wiped his hair while scrolling through his phone.

When he saw the transfer message, his expression froze for a moment, then a chill settled over him.

He turned to look at Chu Qianmiao. She was sitting on the bed, leaning against the quilt, looking at him lazily and innocently, even smiling at him.

He walked over, sat down across from her, waved his phone at her, and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Chu Qianmiao noticed Ren Yan seemed a little annoyed, and with a flattering smile, she said, "Give you the money for the bag."

Ren Yan frowned at her. "Why give it to me? Can't I buy you something?"

Chu Qianmiao bit her lip and said, "Of course, but you can only give me something worth a few hundred yuan. A bag worth tens of thousands of yuan is too expensive."

"You're being so clear with me?" Ren Yan's brows knitted together.

They had just engaged in the most intimate act of their lives. The wrinkles on the sheets had barely undone, and their sweat, steaming through the room, still lingered in the air. And yet, she was being so clear with him now.

Chu Qianmiao sensed Ren Yan's annoyance. But she wasn't about to compromise on this issue just because of his annoyance. She thought for a moment, choosing her words carefully, trying to make him understand. "Senior, this isn't a question of whether or not I can calculate clearly. It's really a question of self-reliance. Since I can afford it myself, why should I take advantage of you? This is tens of thousands of yuan, not just a few hundred."

Ren Yan raised his hand, as if to say something, but his hand stopped mid-air, and his words caught in his throat.

His thoughts were scrambled by Chu Qianmiao's words. He had never been so confused before, forgetting everything he'd thought of the next moment.

He placed his hand on his forehead, closed his eyes, and breathed. After three seconds, he lowered his hand, stood up, and went to retrieve his trousers. He pulled out his wallet, pulled out a black card, and handed it to Chu Qianmiao from the bedside.

"You're my girlfriend. It's only natural for you to spend my money." His voice was emotionless. But Chu Qianmiao knew that the less emotion he could hear, the more unhappy he was.

She refused to take the card and frowned, looking up at him. "Although we're boyfriend and girlfriend, we're independent individuals. We're not married, and there's no such thing as joint property. How can it be natural for me to spend your money? I'm not a dodder; I can earn my own money. Why should I spend your money?"

Ren Yan silently gathered his fingers around the card. Then he sat down in front of her again, looking her in the eye and asking, "Qian Miao, why are you doing this? Why are you being so clear with me? Are you afraid to rely on me completely?"

Chu Qian Miao was startled by his rambling question. "But why should I rely on you completely? Everyone is an independent individual, and everyone should be responsible for themselves. That's what you taught me, Senior."

Ren Yan was also stunned.

"Senior, this is what you taught me. You said people should be responsible for themselves, even though it's difficult. But precisely because it's difficult to be responsible for oneself, being responsible for others is even more difficult. That's why you're not getting married. I didn't understand you before, but now I do." Chu Qianmiao smiled at Ren Yan as she spoke of understanding.

Ren Yan felt a tightness in his stomach. It felt like being pricked by a needle when he was caught off guard. It wasn't fatal, but it was painful.

"Are you angry that I told you I wasn't getting married and rejected you?" he asked after a pause.

Chu Qianmiao quickly waved her hand. "No, no, senior, why would you think that? I'm not a child. Why would I be angry? On the contrary, after seeing so many people on the project and in life who don't take responsibility for their marriages and their partners, I think everything you said is right."

Ren Yan looked at her, feeling her words like an invisible hand gripping his heart.

Chu Qianmiao looked at Ren Yan and said seriously, "So now I think not getting married isn't so bad."

Ren Yan felt the hand gripping his heart clench tightly.

She smiled at him again, a charming and sincere smile. "Senior, even if you don't get married now, I don't want to get married either. I think our relationship is very harmonious together."

That hand gripped his heart so tightly that it almost blocked his blood flow. His chest felt tight.

She pulled the card from his hand and put it back in his wallet. Before returning the wallet, she leaned forward and kissed his forehead. "So, let's not get upset over money," she said with a smile, her eyebrows curved.

Ren Yan looked at her charming and open smile, and a dull pain welled up in his heart. He knew she truly meant it, that she wasn't angry with him.

This realization made his mood plummet. She might as well have been angry with him. But she was so independent and self-reliant, not relying on him at all. It turns out not being relied upon is so frustrating.

Looking at her smiling face, he felt like he'd shot himself in the foot. His foot hurt.